Meeting on Tuesday 8th February. 2011
We may think of stress
as a modern phenomenon but speaker Monica
Place demonstrated to the Society on 8th
February that there was an abundance of it around in the Tudor era. Henry VIII
had provoked religious strife with his dissolution of the monasteries. Any
dissent from the party line could lead to banishment to the Tower – or worse!
Into this atmosphere was born Elizabeth,
daughter of Henry and Ann Boleyn, in 1533 and she was crowned Queen in 1559.
Taking as her title “Elizabeth 1 in Suffolk” Monica told how
this self-reliant, devout, adventurous, sometimes devious and dance-loving
woman travelled around with her large, male-dominated court. Earlier monarchs
on their state tours – or progresses, as they were known – would be
accommodated in monastic houses or abbeys but Elizabeth’s progresses took her to the
properties of aristocrats and rich merchants. Her full court accompanied her
together with her state bed and her hip bath. Elizabeth expected her court to be well
dressed at all times.
Elizabeth made two visits to East Anglia. The first was in 1561
when she came by boat from Harwich to stay at Christchurch
Mansion, Ipswich
– home of merchant Sir Edmund Withipoll. Local inhabitants were assessed for a
tax to pay for the visit. From there she went to Shelley Hall and Smallbridge,
near Bures, home of the Waldegrave family.
Her second visit, in
1578, was more extensive taking in Cavendish, Melford Hall – then the home of
the Solicitor General, Sir William Cordell. There followed calls at Lawshall
Hall, Bury St Edmunds and Rushbrooke Hall. The Queen and her entourage then
moved into Norfolk where her hosts attempted to
outshine the hospitality Suffolk
had showed. An outbreak of the plague brought this tour to an end. On the way
back to London
visits were made to Shotley and Hengrave Hall.
What did these
progresses achieve? For the monarch it
drew the affection of her subjects and her self esteem rose. She bestowed
honours on those she visited – especially some prominent Protestants; on the
other hand, many Catholic men were imprisoned! For the house owners – rich as
they were- the honour and prestige of the royal visit was sometimes
overshadowed by the financially crippling costs involved.
Miss Place illustrated her talk with numerous slides of
portraits, grand houses and maps and was warmly thanked on behalf of 20 members
present by the Society’s President, Ashley Cooper. Chairman, Alan Fitch, welcomed
a new member and reminded all that the next meeting would be the AGM at 8pm in
Foxearth Village Hall on 8th March. Members were invited to bring
along an item of interest and/or antiquity and there would be cheese and wine
to follow.
